Own a Lighthouse on Saginaw Bay

The federal government is taking bids on three lighthouses in the Great Lakes off the coast of Michigan.

The Grand Rapids Press reports the lighthouses are being sold through an online auction as part of efforts to offload obsolete properties.

The lighthouses for sale are the Skillagalee Island light off of northern Michigan’s Emmet County, the Gravelly Shoal light in Saginaw Bay, and the Spectacle Reef light in northern Lake Huron.

Gravelly Shoals Light is an automated lighthouse that is currently an active aid to navigation on the western side of Saginaw Bay. The light is situated about 2.7 miles offshore and was built to help guide boats through the deeper water between the southeast end of Gravelly Shoals and Charity Island. Architecturally this is considered to be Art Deco style.

When lighthouses are no longer used by the Coast Guard, they first get offered to state and local governments or historical preservation organizations at no cost. Earlier this year, three Michigan lighthouses became available for stewardship.

However, if no one applies for the structure or no applications are approved, the lighthouses are auctioned to the public.

The new owners would have to maintain the lights following government standards for the treatment of historic properties. Bidding is open only to nonprofit organizations.